The President's Award
by AwkwardDictator
Summary: Edward Cullen has a plan. Bella Swan is the only one who doesn't give a crap. That might intrigue him more than he'd like to admit. AU/AH. HighSchoolFic.
1. Snobby McSnobberson

Summary: Edward Cullen has a plan. Get the best grades, become popular, and date the prettiest girl in school. Bella Swan is the only one who doesn't give a shit. AU/AH. HighSchoolFic.

* * *

**The President's Award**

Chapter I: Snobby McSnobberson

_By- AwkwardDictator_

* * *

"This is very… impressive."

He flipped a page and studied the student's resume, the words practically blurring together as the sheet listed off achievement after achievement. He smiled as his eyes ran over stellar grades and excellent recommendations from top-notch teachers. He set the sheet down, finally looking up at the student in front of him who sat upright in his chair, his eyes polite, distant, and practically overflowing with arrogance.

Principal Harold Greene crossed his hands in front of him. "But…I can't help but wonder. You, for the last twelve years of your life, have attended Meyer Academy, one of the most recognized and influential preparatory schools in the country. Surely you would rather further your education there instead of blessing us with your presence at Forks High for your senior year?"

The boy shifted. "My mother wanted to try out small town life before I left for college. I decided on Forks," he answered, his tone noticeably cooler.

Principal Greene leaned forward. "Pray tell, why?"

The boy smiled, almost wry. "I think you and I both know why, Mr. Greene."

The principal chuckled, a smile gracing his face. "Of course. And how exactly did you hear that our high school was the recipient of the President's Award?"

The student appeared bored. "My father is on the board for the deciding committee for the award. He helped the decision and funded part of the award as well."

Mr. Greene was confused. "Is there a specific reason you are seeking the award? I'm quite sure your father is more than capable of paying for your college tuition without a full-ride scholarship."

The boy looked at him sharply. "It's more than a scholarship. The benefits are vast and the prestige stays with you. It's the Rhodes' Scholarship for undergraduate college."

"True," the principal nodded. He adjusted his glasses. "Since you are obviously a competent and determined candidate for the award, I think it is fair to mention your competition at this time."

The boy raised a cocky eyebrow. "Competition?" he asked, as if he had never heard the word and Mr. Greene would not be surprised if he hadn't.

The principal sighed. "We have a student here at Forks High; he single-handedly turned around our sports department and brought back the football and baseball teams. He is responsible for many of our achievements and is a favorite of many of our teachers here."

The principal stared shrewdly at the boy before him, who looked unfazed. "As you well know, the President's Award isn't merely a teacher's pet award. It's also a popularity contest and we look for the best all-around student to receive it. His grades aren't the finest, but his record is clean, his achievements are many, and he is, from what I've heard, a very popular student. You're grades and achievements will not be enough to win you the award."

The boy looked contemplative. "A challenge. I don't mind one."

Mr. Greene, nodded, pleased. "If you're truly in the running for the award, I suggest you get started on becoming noticed immediately." The principal paused, running his eyes over the boy's strikingly handsome looks. "I don't believe it will be too hard."

The boy smiled coolly. "Of course." He paused. "May I ask what my rival's name is?"

"A Mr. Emmett McCarthy."

The boy smiled, flashing bright white teeth. "I'll be sure to look out for him."

"Excellent." He stood, as did the student, and he held out his hand for the boy to shake. "Welcome to Forks High, Mr. Cullen."

* * *

"Some asshole transferred to Forks High today."

Isabella Swan pulled at a loose thread in her plaid uniform skirt and awkwardly adjusted her shoulders, feeling slightly uncomfortable in her starchy white collared shirt. "Name?"

"Cullen. He's some douche who transferred from some snobby private school in Chicago because his mom wanted to test out small town life. Bullshit. He's here for the award."

Bella sighed, placing her chin in her palm and staring at the students milling around her, a sea of tartan, cardigans, and blazers. It was hard to believe that just a few months ago, as a junior, there had been no dress code and she was free to sport her jeans and t-shirts. Now, on her first day of senior year, due to some stupid award that had been thrust upon the school, Forks High had gained more recognition than ever, and because of it, she was forced to don an itchy, snobby uniform. The school, being funded by the board behind the award, had provided uniforms for all their students and Bella couldn't say that she was pleased in the least at the new development.

Bella turned to her lunch companion forlornly. "Don't you miss the days we could wear sweatpants to class?" she asked dreamily. "And spill sauce down our shirts without worrying about ruining the school's reputation?"

Rosalie Hale snorted delicately. She was a beautiful thing, all blonde, blue eyes and supermodel. Bella knew she paled in comparison, but didn't often think on it. What made Rosalie even more stunning was her soul and Bella thought jealousy was a useless emotion.

"I miss the days where I could wear a skirt without knee high socks. And when everyone didn't look exactly the fucking same."

"At least the shoe wear is optional," Bella considered, holding up her Doc Marten clad foot. Rosalie snorted and nudged her own worn Chucks to Bella's foot.

"Yeah, I'm happy for everyone that Bella Swan can wear her comfortable boots so that she won't cause a disaster in the hallways as she's usually prone to do." Bella scowled playfully and threw a carrot at Rosalie's forehead as the blonde laughed.

"I'm just glad heels aren't in the dress code," Bella commented as they watched sophomore student Irina Denali strut across the cafeteria as if it were her own stage, her five inch platforms clicking against the linoleum.

"Eviller words haven't been spoken." Alice Brandon had joined them, setting down her tray of food and looking chic and gorgeous in her own uniform.

When the uniforms had been sent to them over the summer after the announcement that Forks had been chosen for the infamous President's Award arrived, Rosalie and Bella had been upset, but Alice had been simply despondent. Her eccentric and often outlandish fashion, somewhat out of place for the small town of Forks, would be unable to be expressed at school. Following the announcement, she had spiced up her wardrobe in a way only Alice could, even going as far as to get a haircut, a delightful asymmetrical bob that suited her perfectly, and embracing stylish and sweet as her new motto. She looked too good in her uniform, adjusting her thin bow headband and sending a placating smile to her best friends.

"Eviller? Is that even a word?" Bella questioned mockingly.

"It should be," Alice countered and Rosalie snorted.

"Why are you so damn happy?" Rosalie grunted in annoyance as Alice delicately sipped from her water bottle.

"I've found the perfect way to spice up my uniform. I'm taking the gossip girl route." She grinned. "I can help both of you as well…?"

"Definitely not," the other two girls said immediately before turning to each other with identical grins. "Jinx."

Alice pouted. "You guys are no fun."

Bella returned to people watching and sighed. "I really fucking hate these uniforms."

"I like them!" Alice chirped helpfully. "It gives the school a sense of elegance and we kind of look like students from a New York private school."

Rose rolled her eyes. "Al, you're going to be in New York in a few months anyway, you don't need this sad imitation."

"Don't call me Al," Alice snapped immediately, screwing the cap on her water bottle back on. She looked up and her dark blue eyes widened. "Ohmygosh!"

"What?" Rosalie and Bella both questioned, turning in their seats. Sure enough, the cafeteria had quietened imperceptibly. A tall boy was strolling into the cafeteria, wearing his uniform much _much_ better than the other male students. Bella's eyes widened. So this must be the new student. He certainly exceeded the expectations that were placed upon him, Bella thought, running her eyes over his lean frame and perfect features. She immediately felt terrible. This was exactly what the new kid didn't need; what practically the whole school, which was small anyway, was doing. Scrutiny. Blushing to herself, she watched as he slowed his steps, glancing around the cafeteria, his bored gaze running over the faces of many of her classmates who watched eagerly, as though he were an animal at the zoo. Bella felt slight pity for the boy, as she had been in a similar position when she had first arrived in Forks, Washington from the much larger Phoenix, Arizona in the middle of her ninth grade year. She could remember being dissected by the students of Forks High, and had been glad when she had slowly faded into the background as time passed and she proved to be less interesting and shiny as they had hoped.

"What's Emmett doing?" Alice hissed suddenly and Bella watched as the burly senior, his tie already loose around his thick neck, his uniform slightly askew, approached the boy with a dimpled grin. They spoke for a moment before a small smile bloomed upon new kid's face and he nodded. Emmett led the boy back to his table where he was accepted with open arms. Bella rolled her eyes.

Of fucking course.

"Typical," Rosalie muttered, mirroring Bella's thoughts. "McCarthy _would_ claim douchebag as his own."

"He's just being _nice_, Rose," Alice retorted.

"Yeah, right. He's just trying to make his posse all that more impressive."

"So you admit that the new boy is impressive?" Alice questioned immediately and Bella laughed at Rosalie's disgusted expression.

"I can't handle you right now, Ali," Rose said, tutting.

Alice rolled her own eyes and turned to Bella eagerly, who was often the final word and the logical thinker in their group. "What do _you_ think, Bella?"

Bella turned to where new kid was shaking hands with Tanya Denali, Emmett's beautiful cheerleader girlfriend and probably the most popular girl in school. The girl smiled prettily and new kid's hand lingered in her own for a moment longer than necessary, his own smile widening.

Bella grinned. "I think that this year just got a hell of a lot more interesting."

* * *

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen tilted his head back to empty the contents of his bottle of lemonade into his mouth. He smiled vaguely at something one of the boys at his table said and chuckled along with the group when they roared with laughter.

He ran a finger over the glass rim of his empty bottle and smirked to himself. This was turning out to be an even easier task than he had believed. Emmett McCarthy, his so-called rival, had approached him himself and now he was seated with a bunch of jocks, cheerleaders, and people who probably spent most of their time trying to figure out how to make themselves cooler.

All Edward Cullen had done was walk into the cafeteria.

Edward had come to Forks with a goal, an agenda if you will.

1. Become popular

2. Continue getting excellent grades

3. Date the prettiest girl in school

The President's Award would be in the palm of his hand if he could achieve the goals he had set for himself. After all, as Principal Greene had mentioned in their meeting, the award wasn't just gifted to the intellectually superior, but to the all-around superior; to the perfect.

Edward Cullen was definitely perfect.

His popularity would bring him great reviews from his peers, if they were ever subjected to evaluate him, his grades would bring him respect from his teachers, and dating the most popular girl in school would bring him the power and the awe.

Tanya Denali was easily the most popular, and probably prettiest, girl in school.

Edward grinned inwardly as he watched Tanya send him a bright smile, her eyes lingering over tousled bronze hair and sparkling jade eyes.

Good looks pay off, Edward thought as Emmett sent him a dimpled grin, his arm draped across the back of his very pretty girlfriend's seat. He leaned in.

"So, Cullen," he started and Edward set his bottle down, focusing on his rival's curious face. "What brings you here to Forks?"

If only you knew, Edward thought slyly, maintaining his calm exterior with perfected grace. He looked down at his lap and smiled.

"My mother wanted me to experience small town life before I went off to college." He smiled charmingly. "You guys are much better than the hicks I was expecting to encounter." The group laughed and Emmett threw his head back, his own laughter boisterous, easily overshadowing others'. His girlfriend, Tanya Denali, sent a pretty little smile at Edward and he felt his own smile grow.

"Definitely not hicks," the girl chirped, brushing a perfectly coiffed strawberry blonde strand of hair behind her shoulder. "Honestly, I thought you'd be here for the President's Award."

A weird, half-hushed sort of silence fell on the group as the words were spoken and Emmett watched Edward carefully, his hazel eyes indiscernible.

Edward scratched his chin. "Well, now that I'm here, I guess it's only fair I get my shot," he responded diplomatically and watched as Tanya patted Emmett's thick arm.

"Emmett's in the running as well," she said, her icy blue eyes alight. "I guess you two are rivals now!" A few students chuckled and Emmett noticed the way Edward's eyes lingered on his girlfriend's frame. The burly boy raised a brow.

"I guess so," he said softly, and Edward's lips twisted into a faint smirk.

* * *

Bella doodled mindlessly on her notebook, drawing flowers and coloring in stars and swirls to her heart's content. She had placed herself in the very back of her biology classroom, preferring, as always, to watch from afar. Students perched on their desks, and Bella noticed that ties were being loosened and shirts untucked. She snorted. She knew the dress code would come to be hated.

Suddenly there was a commotion, as students began to murmur, sliding off desks and taking their seats ungracefully. Bella looked up through her lashes. Mr. Banner, their AP Biology teacher, stood at the front of the classroom with new kid. Bella blinked back her shock. He was even more attractive on closer look, if that were possible, his strange colored hair artfully messy, his eyes fiercely emerald under dark brows. His lips were pursed slightly, as if he abhorred introductions, as Mr. Banner began to make his, and Bella couldn't blame him at all. She had blushed and stammered when she had first been introduced, partly because of nerves, and partly because the students of Forks High looked like they wanted to drink her and spit her back out. Bella returned to her notebook as Mr. Banner droned on about how Mr. Cullen was from an impressive private university-school in Chicago and how he had been in the running for valedictorian and how he was freaking perfect and blah blah blah. Bella rolled her eyes. It looked as though her Biology teacher had a crush.

So the Cullen kid was here for the award, huh? He definitely seemed a worthy contender in the competition for the award. Bella laughed softly, watching her long hair pool gracefully over her notebook, curtaining her features from the class. She had always thought Emmett would be the recipient but Cullen seemed to be sending the whole school on a tailspin.

The chair besides hers scraped against the linoleum and Bella jumped, startled. A heavy body sank into the chair next to hers and Bella stilled, realizing that the chair beside hers had been the only empty one. That meant…

Hesitating momentarily, she peeked through her thick curtain of chestnut hair. Sure enough, new kid sat in the chair next to hers. She blushed. He was extremely attractive, a God among mortals. She allowed her eyes to drink in his perfect face. His jaw could have cut glass and his light skin, not tan, not pale, unlike Bella's creamy skin, was flawless. He had a sharp profile, one that an artist would pay millions to sit and recreate and Bella's hands twitched. She wasn't an artist, but she _was_ a writer. She could write poems about that straight nose and those high cheekbones and his dusty rose lips which were currently pulled down slightly. Bella frowned as well. It wasn't right for a high school boy to be so…beautiful.

Shaking herself out of her admiring thoughts, she stuck her hand out and whispered, "Nice to meet you, lab partner. I'm Bella."

He didn't even look at her. His light green eyes drifted south to where her pale hand was outstretched and he nodded once, coldly, his gaze and attention immediately returning to the front of the room, where Mr. Banner began to speak.

Bella frowned again, her hand still awkwardly outstretched. The rejection stung her and she blushed, slightly humiliated. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Jessica Stanley smirk at her attempt and Bella resisted the urge to give the girl the stink-eye.

She allowed her hand to drop and angled her body away from the new kid with a shrug. He might have been beautiful, but his personality, as she had suspected, was shit.

She wouldn't bother him again.

* * *

"Damn it," Edward cursed, jerking roughly to a stop as he reached his new house. He stared up at it for a few seconds before shutting his piece of shit car off and getting out.

Gone was his beautiful Aston Martin Vanquish, his dream car, the car he had received as a gift when he was fifteen. In it's place, so as to not attract attention from the gossiping community of Forks, was a shiny new Volvo.

Edward scoffed at his car, resisting the urge to kick in its tires, as if that might cause it some pain. He wanted to collect cars when he grew older and this grandpa car wasn't exactly where he wanted to start. He trudged into his new home, backpack slung over the shoulder of his blazer, his brows furrowed in irritation at the world.

"Edward, sweetie? Is that you?"

"No, mom, it's the rapist who has keys to the front door," Edward said sarcastically watching his mother round the corner towards him.

Esme Cullen raised an eyebrow at her only son. "Judging from your face and the dry humor you just threw at me I'm assuming your first day didn't go too well," she guessed sympathetically.

Edward shrugged, kicking off his shoes. "As well as it could have been, I guess."

"You want to talk about it?" She tucked a strand of her caramel hair behind her ear, her eyes, identical to his green ones, curious.

"Not at all." He made to move past him but she stopped him, hand on chest.

"I've made some brownies for you!" she said brightly. Her eyes dimmed suddenly and she sniffed. "I can't believe you've gotten so big! My handsome senior," she cooed pinching his cheek.

The tips of his ears turned red. "Moooom," he groaned, waving her hand away.

She laughed. "On the kitchen counter. Ice cream's in the fridge." He smiled at her, kissing her cheek softly, before making his way to the kitchen.  
Slinging his backpack onto one of he kitchen stools he grabbed a brownie off the plate on which they were cooling. Taking a bite out of the delicious chocolatey goodness, he rooted in the freezer for the vanilla ice cream, finally finding the carton and prying it open with his unoccupied hand and his other arm holding the box to his chest.

As he worked on devouring his snack, he thought about school. It was extremely, no, _completely_ different from his old prep school. Besides the uniforms, which he had heard from his new lunch group, were a new addition, the public school was quite the opposite of his previous castle-like, excellent facility, impressively elegant school. Edward chewed his brownies thoughtfully. It was just a year. Just a year and he'd be back in Chicago, hopefully entering as a freshman at the University of Chicago.

His phone rang suddenly and he dropped his spoon back into his bowl of brownies and ice cream, fishing in his pockets. He saw who it was. He answered the call immediately with a grin.

"Hey."

"Yo, fucker." Edward rolled his eyes picking his spoon up once more and stuffing his face with chocolate and ice cream. "How was your first day in Spoons?"

Edward swallowed. "Forks, you asshole. And it was whatever. I talked to the Principal and apparently there's some dude who might be my competition for the award. But then the same dude came up to me during lunch and asked me to sit with his group of friends so-"

"Dude, I stopped listening after 'whatever'."

Edward glared, even though his friend wasn't there. "Dick."

"You gonna forget about me?"

"Yeah, I am. Wait, who is this, again?"

There was a snort. "Classy. We slept together at that one party, remember?"

Edward chuckled. Jasper Whitlock had been his best friend since middle school when his outrageously wealthy family, who apparently were all veterans of multiple wars, had moved to Chicago from Houston, Texas. Coming from old money, just like Edward, and also being stunningly gorgeous, again, like Edward, they were some of the most respected boys in their school. If there were one thing Edward truly missed, it would be Jas.

Edward sighed. "How are you?"

"Life sucks, man. We miss you. Mostly we miss the booze and the drugs you provided, but…"

Edward rolled his eyes again. He had rarely been the supplier, even if his dad was one of the best doctors in the city and had easy access. Anyway, the kids at their school all had enough money to buy their own shit. He hadn't partied as hardcore as the other rich kids at his school, but it had been hard to resist, since in a high school such as theirs, there weren't many other ways to have fun. He had dabbled on that lifestyle for a while but had quit it when it got too intense. "So sentimental, Jas."

"You know it." There was a sigh on the other end. "Any hot small town chicks?"

Edward threw his empty bowl into the sink and skirted around a few boxes that were piled in the kitchen, no doubt housing cups and plates that were yet to be unpacked. "There is one…"

"Dude, you work fast! Who the hell is she?" He could practically see Jasper sitting straighter in his seat, eager to hear about his newest conquest.

"She's a cheerleader. Tall, blonde, hot. Great body. Probably the most popular girl in school." Edward sprinted up the stairs, taking them two at a time.

Jasper whistled lowly. "Why aren't you already fucking her?"

Edward smiled thinly. "Boyfriend."

Jasper laughed. "When has that stopped you?"

Edward ran a hand through his hair. "Since the boyfriend turned out to be my rival for the award."

There was silence. "That's shit luck, man," Jasper agreed.

"Yeah, there's no way I'm going anywhere near her ass until she's single. But she will be. I'm gonna pry her out from under him; plus, dating her will make me seem even more awesome in everyone's eyes- I mean, if she dumps her boyfriend for me. I could gain a lot from that."

Jasper chuckled. "Everything is prestige and ambition with you. Why don't you date a girl you actually like?"

"You're one to talk," Edward started, changing the subject. "How's Maria?"

"Who the fuck knows?" Jasper asked, bored. "I dumped her sorry ass. She was so high maintenance and just…mean. I don't know. She kind of scared me sometimes."

Edward stifled a laugh. "I know."

"Fuck off," Jasper said good-naturedly. He sighed. "Find me a small town girl?"

"'Course," Edward answered breezily. "And then the two of you can ride off into the beautiful sunset together on matching ponies-"

"Shut it, ass," Jasper laughed. "I should clock out. But do me a favor- get laid."

Edward remembered strawberry blonde hair and pretty blue eyes. He grinned. "No shit. I'll get laid."

* * *

"So, I saw you being snubbed by Edward Cullen today."

Bella grumbled, pouring tomato puree into her homemade marinara as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder.

"He totally just…rejected you. Flat out. Didn't even look you in the face."

Bella rolled her eyes at her friend's dramatics.

"I mean, seriously. It was just this huge, terrible, snubbing." Bella mixed her marinara with the ladle, making an amused noise.

"Are you trying to get a rise out of me, Jess? You're being annoying as fuck. And I don't really care about his so-called snubbing. I don't really care about him in general." And that was the truth.

"I'm sorry, but that guy might be drop-dead gorgeous, but he's got the personality of a cactus." Bella nodded to herself, then stopped.

"You know, he might have just been nervous. We don't know anything about the guy." She couldn't even convince herself.

"I know that I wouldn't mind rolling a condom on that one-"

"_Jess!_" Bella flushed red.

Jessica Stanley grumbled on the other end of the line. "Sorry, prude."

Bella sighed. "I'm not a prude, I'm just…"

"…a prude?" Jessica guessed. "Look, Bella, the guy's fuckhot. That's all he's good for. Sex and then a nice, large dumping. Almost as large as that snubbing that took place today-"

"Okay," Bella said loudly. "You've made your point. Also, you're mean."

"I'm not mean, I'm a realist. What would a guy like that want with any of us? I mean, yes, we're all beautiful and stunning and gorgeous-"

"-and modest?" Bella added, amused.

"That too. We're all of that. But he's like…what the fuck. I can't even. I want to show up at his house naked."

"Mike wouldn't like that."

"Mike and I have a very open relationship."

"He doesn't think so."

"He seems to think so whenever he flirts with you," Jessica grumbled.

"You need peanut butter to go with that jelly?" Bella teased, even though she _did_ feel bad when Mike Newton tried to hit on her. It was irritating that he couldn't take a hint and it was even more irritating that he would hit on her when Jessica was her friend.

"I'm not jealous. I'm not. Edward Cullen is so hot and I'm horny, that's what it is."

"Thanks for all that information, Jess," Bella said sarcastically. "But anyway, I'm pretty sure he's already found someone to fuck with."

"What? Who?"

For a second Bella regretted bringing it up; after all, Jessica Rumor Mill Stanley, while a good friend and a, usually, nice person, was the largest gossip Forks had to offer. While Rose and Alice were her best friends of all time, Jess and Angela Weber, another quiet girl, were her good friends, the ones she hesitated to speak with about important matters but joked around with often.

"Um. Tanya Denali."

There was a pause. "Of fucking course."

Bella grinned. "But maybe you shouldn't go spreading that news around. What with her boyfriend and all, it probably won't look too good for him."

He could almost feel Jessica rolling her eyes. "Bella, lighten the fuck up. The guy is like…Snobby McSnobberson. There's no way in hell I'm not spreading the news."

Bella bit her lip, feeling slightly bad for a moment, then realized that she didn't really care. "Yeah, whatever."

"So," Jess started, changing the subject. "You gonna stop being a hermit this year?"

"Excuse me?"

"Seriously, though. If you just stepped out more often, people would notice you more and see how pretty you are."

"I don't want to be noticed," Bella murmured softly, petulantly. "And I'm not pretty."

"What the fuck ever. Bella, you're a great friend, but sometimes your self-esteem is shit."

Bella rolled her eyes. "Thanks for that, Jess. But you know what I want. I just want to get out of high school, that's all. Go away to college. I don't really care to get noticed."

There was a sigh. "Right. Hey, Bella, I should probably go."

"Talk to you later."

Bella couldn't help but ponder her words later. Was she really a hermit? She had tons of fun with Alice and Rose. Sure, she wasn't into the party scene, but with her dad being the Chief of Police in the small town and her lack of interest in looking like a fool or being vulnerable or exposed, it seemed self-explanatory that she wouldn't be involved in that shit.

Bella sighed, leaning her hip against the counter and watching her pot of marinara bubble deliciously. She already knew. Contrary to what she had said earlier today, this year was going to be exactly the same as ever.

* * *

There she stood. Her hair swung behind her, glinting off hints of auburn as she laughed. A crowd of admirers surrounded her and basked in her glow.

Edward smiled. He approached her from behind, watching through his peripheral vision as students parted for him, as though he were Moses parting the Red Sea. Edward inwardly snorted. People were such sheep when faced with beauty and charisma.

He stopped about a foot away, smirking slightly as her friends took notice before she did, blushing and giggling and nudging her until she turned. Her pretty eyes widened.

"Edward," she breathed, hand fluttering up towards her collarbone and Edward knew he had her.

Even from the way she spoke, the way she held herself, he knew that she enjoyed the limelight, the attention, the power. She commandeered it so that it revolved around solely her and she basked in the presence of it. She was nice enough too, not terribly rude and snobby like many of the other girls in his old school. She grinned at him when he asked to walk her to class, which she agreed to without hesitation.

"Hey Edward? I'm really glad you transferred. I'm really glad we met." She beamed at him serenely and Edward's lips unfurled into his usual crooked grin. She looked slightly dazed at the sight of it.

"I'm really glad I met you too. And Emmett," Edward added slyly, watching as her glazed eyes blinked up at him.

"Emmett?" she asked slowly, and Edward could practically hear her ask, 'Who's Emmett?' Suddenly she blinked quickly and looked slightly flustered. "Oh, right, of course."

"We should hang out," Edward suggested casually, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Yeah, definitely," she said, smiling up at him. Grinning to himself, he leaned forward, allowing his breath to wash across her face, watching her eyes widen, then flutter, before he pressed a soft kiss to her cheek.

"I'll see you around," he murmured, backing away. The poor thing looked as though she had had the lights knocked out of her. She turned away slowly and Edward resisted the urge to fist pump in victory as he turned too.

Unfortunately, he crashed into something that was moving, causing him and whatever he had crashed into to fall down. He realized a moment later, that it was a person.

"What the fuck? Watch where you're going, you clumsy fucker!" he hissed, focusing on picking up the books that had fallen out of his backpack without looking up at the culprit.

Suddenly, a small, pale hand shot out and knocked all the books he had gathered straight out of his hands.

He stared down at his empty hands, shocked. He was furious. Fuming, he directed his gaze back up to the vermin-

…

Holy shit.

It was a girl.

No, no.

It wasn't just a girl.

It was a very, very pretty girl.

"I don't know who you think you are," the girl started, glaring at him with brown eyes that were so pretty and chocolatey, sort of like the brownies he had had earlier, but lighter and _Christ_, her voice, that was chocolatey too, rich and chocolatey and pretty, just like her. "But don't ever speak to me like that again, asshole. Didn't that private school teach you any manners?"

She flipped her rich curtain of dark hair over her shoulders and stood, displaying scuffed up boots and slender, creamy legs. With a final, parting glare, she made her way around him, her backpack slung over her shoulder, her gait rigid.

Edward blinked in shock, still, on the ground, his hands still held up, holding imaginary books.

Who the fucking fuck was _that_?

* * *

*cracks knuckles* Let the games begin.

I want you all to know that Edward isn't an ass and this isn't a womanizer vs. virgin good girl story. He just doesn't have any emotion…right now. Which will change. Obviously.

Reviews are snobby Edward being knocked flat on his ass by cool girl Bella; literally.

Thanks for reading!


	2. Shit From Ninth Grade

Summary: Edward Cullen has a plan. Get the best grades, become popular, and date the prettiest girl in school. Bella Swan is the only one who doesn't give a shit. AU/AH. HighSchoolFic.

* * *

**The President's Award**

Chapter II: Shit From Ninth Grade

_By- AwkwardDictator_

* * *

"I heard Edward Cullen kissed Tanya Denali before class today!"

"What?" Alice shrieked in shock, jumping up, the action causing the lipgloss she was applying to make a sharp line across her cheek. "Ah…shit."

Bella rolled her eyes, producing a white napkin, pulling Alice's chin down towards her and proceeding to wipe the glittery shit off of Alice's smooth cheek. "Why on Earth do we care about what that douche does?"

"_Because_, Bella," Rosalie began with a frown, "he's our shiny new toy. He has been placed at the wonderful institution otherwise known as Forks High School to entertain and amuse us for our senior year."

Bella gave Rose a strange look before giving Alice's cheek one last swipe and patting it affectionately. "All better."

Alice quickly refocused on Rose, her blue eyes sparkling. "Tell. Me. Everything."

Bella sighed and leaned back on the hood of Rosalie's BMW as the blonde in question launched into a detailed and dramatic retelling of how Cullen had smooched Tanya's lovely flawless cheek before the first bell. She let her mind drift off into space as she stared up at the sky, which was an ugly oatmeal color. She despised it. She could vividly remember skies of blue decorated with cotton candy clouds. The sky in Washington appeared almost perpetually dreary.

She took a large sip of her coke before crossing her ankles against the hood of the red car. Alice was perched on top like an agile little acrobat and Rose was seated crosslegged on the side of the hood that Bella's legs didn't conquer. She smiled. It was so, so nice to leave the loud and buzzing confines of the school cafeteria and have the parking lot all to themselves. She couldn't remember when it had started, leaving during lunchtime to escape to the parking lot; she assumed it was during sophomore year when Alice got a car, the first in their group to do so. Those were the days; comfortable jeans and worn sweatshirts, eating leftovers from the dinner Bella would meticulously prepare for her father, Charlie, and no pressure, absolutely no pressure.

Now it was senior year and the pressure was on.

Bella leaned forward on her elbows watching her closest friends with a frown. Alice was clapping her hands together, beaming, as her whole frame bounced in joy. Rose was gesturing excitedly wisps of blonde hair tickling her cheeks and lips. She pushed them away distractedly.

Soon, they would all be attending different colleges, possibly different colleges on opposite ends of the country if things were going to be as they had been planning.

"Rose, Alice," Bella interrupted softly and the girls turned to look at her, their smiles frozen on their lovely features. "How are your college applications going?"

It was as if the lights had been switched off from the inside of their souls, Bella thought, as she watched their smiles dim suddenly and startlingly fast. She cursed her tact but awaited their answers anyway.

"Um," Rose said.

"Uh," Alice replied.

Bella chuckled. Her chuckles turned into guffaws, which quickly became side-splitting laughter which continued and escalated when she was joined in by her friends, Alice collapsing on top of the car and Rosalie clutching at her sides, bending down as if her ribs might crack from the strength of her giggles.

"God, guys," Rose began when their laughter faded into mild snickers. She wiped an imaginary tear from under her eye and sighed. "I really fucking hate talking about the future."

Alice smirked from where she was sprawled on top of the car. "As if you don't have Stanford begging for you to join their prestigious campus."

Rose threw a balled up napkin at her half-heartedly. She sighed. "Yeah. I guess…I guess I'm set."

Bella stared at her, wondering why there was something off with her tone and her demeanor in general. "Why…why do you sound so sad, then?"

Rose paused. She ran a hand over her face before biting her fingernail. "Guys…I'm not sure about Stanford."

Alice jumped up, kneeling on top of the car on all fours and stared at her blonde friend incredulously. "What? You've been dreaming about Stanford for _years_, Rosie!"

Rose sighed, frustration evident. "I know that, ok? I _know_. But I just…I mean, I was a _kid_ when I wanted Stanford and…and I never really considered…anything else…and now I'm kind of thinking…that that was stupid of me."

Bella watched her struggle to find words and placed a placating hand on her friend's arm. "Rose, I get it. We all have a lot to think about. Alice and I… we'll help you. We can do research." She turned to her tiny brunette friend who nodded vigorously.

"Right. I…I mean, I have some decisions to make too."

Both Bella and Rosalie looked up at her, curiously, their own troubles momentarily forgotten. "Like what?" Rose questioned.

Alice opened her mouth to reply just as the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch.

"Shit," Bella muttered jumping off the hood of the car. "Alice, you can tell us after school. Rose…don't think about it now. We're going to help each other out, okay?"

"You bet your skinny ass we are, Swan," Rose glared. "Especially you. You know Alice and I both hate what you want to-"

"_Later_, Rose," Bella stressed, as she slid her blazer back on and swung her backpack over her shoulder, not wanting to hear Rose dissuade her from her future plans, again.

Rose furrowed her brows before nodding sharply. "Fine. Later."

The trio sprinted into the school, leaving their doubts, worries, and college plans in the parking lot behind them.

* * *

Edward ran a hand through his tousled locks and adjusted his tie, aware that he was being watched by many of the students that were lingering in the hallway. He sighed, resisting the urge to yell that there was nothing to see here. The bell was about to ring, if he didn't hurry he was going to be late to class, and he hadn't eaten a proper and fulfilling meal for lunch, his mind buzzing with thoughts. Many thoughts. Thoughts about…about blonde cheerleaders and rivals and clear chocolate eyes-

"_Cullen!_"

Edward snapped his head around and watched as Emmett jogged up to him looking slightly bewildered. "Hey man, I've been calling your name for like five minutes."

"Oh, shit, sorry. I was…thinking." Edward shook his head like a dog trying to rid its ears of water. "Anyway, what's up?"

"Uh, I just wanted to ask if you were free tonight. A few of us are gathering at Tanya's house and we're just gonna chill…you know…break out the beer…maybe some weed…not the high-class shit you're probably used to, but…" He grinned encouragingly.

Edward stared at Emmett in contemplation. McCarthy was a complete enigma. Edward knew that the boy was aware of the way he had eyed his girlfriend just yesterday. He knew that Edward was serious competition for the award. He knew these things and yet…here he was. Inviting him. To chill with his friends. At his girlfriend's house, nonetheless.

"Sounds fun," Edward agreed, not one to turn down something that could very well turn into something good; namely a way to ensure his popularity. "Here; let me give you my number and you can send me the details."

After exchanging contact information and a few more words, Emmett slapped him on the shoulder, sprinting past him and down the hallway as the bell rang shrilly. Cursing, Edward turned into his own classroom, happy to see that the teacher hadn't arrived yet. He made his way to the back, aware of almost every set of eyes on him. He sighed, irritated with the attention, but accepting the fact that as long as he was here, he was going to be bathing in the limelight.

Plopping himself down into his seat, he pulled out his spiral notebook and a pen, twirling it lazily in his fingers as Mr. Banner sped into the room, looking breathless. He immediately began passing out worksheets to the front row and by the time the sheets reached Edward, the boy was tapping an impatient rhythm onto the black surface of his lab table.

He skimmed the worksheet, and then smirked. He had done this shit in ninth grade.

"You may work with your lab partners," Mr. Banner directed and many of he students livened up at that. Edward rolled his eyes, already filling in his worksheet. There was no way in hell he was working with a lab partner. They would only slow him down; he didn't enjoy being slowed down.

When he was on the eighth question, Edward paused. _That's right._ He had a lab partner. Who _was_ his lab partner? He vaguely recalled someone trying to introduce themselves, but then again there were tons of people in his classes who had tried to get his attention. He hadn't looked at any of them. When he was in class, he was in student mode.

Careful, so as not to give his partner the idea that he wanted to work with he/she/it, he turned his head to the side, allowing his eyes to slide upwards only to see-

A notebook.

_What the hell?_

There was a notebook. A bright red notebook. It was propped up, open, teetering precariously on its thin pages, and blocking his view of his partner's face. He saw a brunette head bob up and down a few times and he blinked in utter confusion. Slowly, he let his eyes slide downward, taking in the sharp blazer and formfitting button up and finally the plaid skirt and knee high socks. Ah. So his partner was a girl. His eyes lingered, he was a boy, after all, on her slender, creamy thighs, before drifting south and stopping on a pair of boots.

A pair…of boots.

Edward's eyes shot upwards, widening in shock, just as the red notebook collapsed like a house of cards, right on top of the desk surface, sending both his and his partner's worksheets flying and allowing him a perfect view of her frustrated face.

Her very, very pretty frustrated face.

"Y-y-you!" he sputtered immediately, his pen sliding from his grasp and rolling onto the floor with a clatter.

Her own eyes narrowed imperceptibly at him before she shot under the table, retrieving her worksheet and then attempted to set up her notebook wall again.

He blinked at her, dumbfounded.

"W-why are you doing that?" he questioned, confused.

"Because," she began and, holy shit, if her voice wasn't even prettier in its soft, lovely tenor, when it was so near him, "I like privacy. And being on the outside." She ducked her head into her self-created cave and he heard furious scribbling.

After a beat, he began to chuckle. Suddenly, her big brown eyes popped up over the side of her spiral, glaring. "Is there a _problem_, new kid?"

Edward stopped mid-chuckle, his eyes widening. "N-no, sorry."

She stared at him for a second before her eyebrows relaxed and he heard her snort. "You sound so scared right now."

He frowned. He wasn't _scared_. Just thrown off. "I-I'm not, really-"

"You should be!" she exclaimed, slapping her hand against the black lab surface. Edward jumped and the notebook wobbled before collapsing once more, sending a few wisps of her long brown hair flying back. "Ah, crud. I guess that's a lost cause." She looked over at him and rolled her eyes at his wide-eyed expression. "Relax, new kid, I'm just fucking with you." She returned to her worksheet as if nothing whatsoever had happened and Edward stared.

With great effort, he managed to turn his head back to the front, bend under his desk, and pick up his worksheet and pen. His eyes darted back to her reflexively and he swallowed. "What…what's your name?"

She turned to him, an eyebrow raised. "Why? So you'll have something to call me other than 'clumsy fucker'?" she inquired scathingly.

His mouth dropped open. "Oh, shit. I'm so…I'm so so-"

"Mr. Cullen, Ms. Swan!" Mr. Banner strolled up to them. "Less chatting, more working."

The girl seemed to transform before his very eyes. "Of course, Mr. Banner. I just finished the worksheet, actually." She passed him the paper with a soft, shy smile while Edward watched the interaction, astounded.

Not only was she suddenly another person completely, she had finished the worksheet in less than ten minutes while the rest of the class was struggling to get through it.

Mr. Banner smiled down at her. "Brilliant, as always, Ms. Swan." He turned his eyes on Edward. "But I see that you two aren't working together?"

"We work better alone," 'Ms. Swan' interjected smoothly before Edward could reply. His lips turned downwards.

"But we'll be sure to put in our combined efforts on the next assignment," Edward added charmingly. He sent a half-smile in the girl's direction, but she wasn't looking at him, instead choosing to stare down at her red notebook as if trying to levitate it. "I'm sure it'll be much more productive."

He answered the last question on his worksheet and handed it to Mr. Banner who accepted it graciously.

"I'm glad the two of you are working together," he decided. He leaned in conspiratorially. "You know, so the rest of the kids can actually learn something."

Edward grinned handsomely and the Swan girl smiled again, hesitantly, as Mr. Banner walked back up the aisle to the front of the class. Edward immediately turned to the girl beside him.

"So, _Swan_, huh?"

"No, it's actually Duckling. Mr. Banner just doesn't know his birds," she sighed, as though in mock disappointment, and Edward blinked at her. She raised a brow. "I guess 'asshole' and 'sense of humor' don't mix…" she noted and Edward frowned again.

"Listen, about that-"

"Yeah, I don't really care, so you can save your excuses for someone who does," she interrupted, flipping open her notebook and doodling in the margins.

Edward watched her do so for a few moments, disappointed, before he spoke softly. "I'm really sorry."

She shrugged. "Whatever."

He faced the front of the class once more but nothing up there held any interest for him. Instead, he turned back to the girl beside him, as though he were drawn to her and asked the first thing that came to his mind. "So…how'd you finish that worksheet so fast?"

She looked up at him blankly. "Jeez, new kid, I'm not stupid. I did that shit in ninth grade."

And then it seemed their conversation was deemed over.

* * *

"Bella?"

"Hmph?" Bella spoke through a mouthful of delicious fries. Alice and Rose were both watching her, serious expressions on their faces. Bella swallowed. She suddenly wished for the power to disappear.

"Bella. It's _later_."

Bella popped a fry into her mouth and chewed slowly. "Guys…"

"B," Rose said softly. "We just don't get it. I mean. Yes, University of Washington is a great school-"

"Exactly," Bella said firmly. "It's a great school. So that's where I'm going."

"_Bella_," Alice tried. "But you're so much more. You could be so freaking great."

"You just said U-Dub is great," Bella said adamantly.

"And it is." Alice took a breath. "But you're greater."

The conversation seemed too much for the small booth in which they sat in at the Forks Diner. Bella felt suffocated and confused. She stuffed fries in her mouth half-heartedly.

"I mean," Rose started, waving her arms about, "You were going on about the University of Arizona for, like, the first two years of high school. And then you started talking about disappearing off the face of the Earth and going to fucking Alaska for school. And then you just randomly woke up one day and decided to go to UW. I mean what the freaking fuck, B?"

Bella sighed. She did have a point. But Bella had a greater one. "Guys. I don't even know what I want to do with my life. I'm not going to a school where I have to pay a million bucks for a degree that I haven't even decided upon."

"Bella, you have all of this year and your freshman year of college to decide what to get your degree in. You could just file for 'undecided'," Alice stated exasperatedly.

"Also, your cinched for a scholarship," Rose said, as though it were obvious.

Bella shifted a fry around her plate. "I think UW might give me a full ride," she admitted. "Think about what that could do! I mean, Charlie could use the money set aside for my tuition to do whatever the hell he wants with it-"

"Bella, no offense, but your dad has the social life of a hermit," Alice said bluntly and Jessica's hermit comments ran through Bella's head. She shifted in her seat awkwardly. "You're his life. He would give up that money and more for you in a heart beat if it meant you were happy. Plus, you know he'd be proud."

Bella directed her gaze out the window. "Charlie would be proud of me no matter what," she said softly.

"Sweetie, I know. But don't you want to give him something to gush about? I don't know, like an Ivy education-"

"Whoa!" Bella held her hands up, flustered. "Why are we suddenly jumping to Ivies now-"

"Because you know you'll get in, B," Rose said softly. She gestured between Alice and her. "Join the Ivy club."

"I won't," Bella mumbled petulantly. "And anyway, you both don't even know where the fuck you're going, apparently, so cut the crap," she deflected.

"I'm going to an Ivy. I have to. My parents will kill me," Rose said with a shudder.

Alice was silent.

Bella stared at her friend. "Ali…?"

Alice sighed. "I…I don't know. I don't think…I mean, I thought art or fashion school might be it for me but I'm not so sure anymore. I think I may study Art History or Computer Science."

Rose blinked. "Whoa. Two completely different sides of the spectrum."

Alice ran a hand through her chic bob. "I'm really interested in graphic design."

Bella and Rose exchanged smirks. They had known this of course, since Alice was head of the design team on the Forks High newspaper and was better with computers than any IT professional. "That's old news, Ali," Bella said with a grin. "Where were you thinking of applying?"

Alice blushed terribly. "Columbia has been e-mailing me all summer…"

Rose shrieked, propelling herself at her friend. "So you get your New York dream too! I see what you did there, Al," she smirked.

"Don't call me Al," Alice mumbled half-heartedly, trying and failing to hide her grin. "I really hope I get in, though."

Bella bit her lip, happy for her friend, but somewhat envious. Her friends knew exactly what they wanted to do. Rose; engineering. Alice; graphic design. Bella; who the fuck knew? She liked philosophy. She liked anthropology. She liked political science. She was all over the place. She had no ambition.

Rose sighed happily. "So it really is the Ivy League club." She turned to Bella, her blue eyes dazzling. "Sweetie, let us help you. We can do research. We can figure out where we really belong. I need to too. We'll help each other."

Bella stared down at her plate. "I don't need help. Really. I already own a UW sweatshirt and sweatpants combo set so there's no going back now," she rambled uselessly.

She took a huge bite of her burger, ignoring the way her best friends watched her over their own meals, concerned.

All things considered…she had yet to falter in her decision to go to U-Dub. And Charlie was happy for her.

So that was enough.

* * *

He rapped his knuckles sharply on his father's office door.

"Come in," a voice baritoned a moment later and Edward stepped in.

"Hey, dad, I'm gonna be heading out for a bit. Some friends invited me over to hang out."

Carlisle Cullen peered up at him through his spectacles shrewdly. "Just don't get into any trouble, son."

"Do I ever?" Edward grinned charmingly. His father chuckled, flipping over a page of his medical journal. Edward shifted in place, hands tucked into the pockets of his slacks. "Hey, dad? Do you miss Chicago?"

Carlisle returned his gaze to his only son. His eyes softened. "Very much. But that's to be expected. I do like Forks, though. And you?"

Edward sighed. "Um. I mean, it's fine, I suppose." He scrubbed at his chin before dropping his hand back to his side. "I think I decided where I want to go to college."

Carlisle straightened. "That's excellent, Edward," he said, a smile threatening to take over his face. "What are you considering?"

"I'm not considering. I know. I think…I think I'm going to study Applied Mathematics and Economics at your alma mater."

Carlisle relaxed into his seat, looking at his son with a faint grin. "University of Chicago? You miss home that much?"

Edward shrugged, a small smile on his face.

Carlisle watched him for a second before smiling softly. "I'll be happy with whatever decision you make. But I'm proud of you for even making one."

"Thanks, dad," Edward said, watching as his father shot him an easy grin before returning to his work. Edward slid out of the room quietly.

He made his way to his room, gathering his keys and wallet and stuffing them into his pockets. He checked his phone again, Tanya Denali's address staring up at him. He smiled. He was going to make sure this party was worth his while.

Jogging down the stairs he stepped into the kitchen to kiss his mom's cheek on his way out.

"I'll be back before one," he promised and Esme patted his cheek sweetly. He gripped her upper arms before she could release him. "Hold on."

He stared down at his mother, the wheels in his head turning. He had an idea. Sweet brown eyes came to his mind and a grin curved his lips upward.

"Mom, I need you to do me a favor…"

* * *

"How was your second day, Bells?"

Bella stabbed at her spaghetti and meatballs unenthusiastically. "It was fine."

Charlie swallowed his mouthful of food. "You keeping those grades up?"

Bella chuckled. "It's only the second day, dad."

"I expect only the best, Bells," he warned.

"I know you do," she said warmly. She knew he was proud of her. They didn't need words, Charlie and her. She could see; simply through the gleam in his eyes and the easy smile on his face that he was happy for her; happy _with_ her.

After Bella had cleaned up, washed the dishes and set the leftovers aside for lunch the next day and Charlie had retired to watch baseball on the couch, Bella was left to finish her homework. She sat cross-legged on her bed flipping through her AP Bio textbook in disgust. She really hated science. Her mind wandered over to Edward Cullen, the idiot who sat beside her in said class. She almost smiled as she remembered his awkward stuttering and his overall, non-douchebag demeanor. When Edward Cullen wasn't being a complete ass…he was sort of…_adorable_.

Bella flicked her book shut with a snap. No. _No._ She couldn't exercise those thoughts. Sure, Cullen was more beautiful than a male model and seemed to be good at everything in the world but he knew it too. So, no. Not adorable. More like abominable.

Sliding off her purple bedsheets, she made her way over to her ancient computer, turning it on and watching as it huffed and puffed into action.

Before Bella's mother, Renee, had passed away in a car accident her eight grade year, she remembered begging her for a slim laptop all the time and Renee had always promised to get her one before she started high school.

Obviously, that never happened.

She didn't know why she never asked Charlie once she had moved to Forks. She only remembered feeling guilty that he now had to take care of her and so she resisted asking for anything. Charlie offered her many things but Bella just wouldn't have it; she felt like a burden those first few months and only realized some time later that Charlie was so happy to have her there.

And that, yes, she was happy to be there too.

Bella frowned as the computer froze on a screen. Grabbing her folder, she whacked it over the head, watching with satisfaction as it sputtered back to life. She placed her head in her palm as she scrolled through e-mails; some from the debate team at school, some from Alice from the newspaper where Bella sometimes freelanced, and a few from the National Honor Society.

"Crap," Bella muttered as the computer once again froze as she was trying to rid her inbox of spam. She leaned back in her chair and ran her hands over her face, tired. She recalled her conversation with Alice and Rose from the afternoon. Suddenly, she sprung forward, her hand grasping for her mouse.

She found herself on the UW Undergraduate Majors page. She scrolled up and down, back and forth, reading through the list of areas of study until she felt her head spin. Releasing her mouse with a shove, she got out of her seat and moved to her window, staring out, biting her lip.

Sure, an Ivy League degree would be nice, but she wasn't going to pretend she was even worthy of one. Yes, she got the grades. Yes, she was involved in school. No, she wasn't interesting in the slightest and lacked something that colleges thirsted for in prospective students; passion.

So, no. There was no way she'd be able to even interest an Ivy League college. She rubbed her hands over her arms, feeling slightly colder all of a sudden. Perhaps she'd give Leah a call…or Jacob…

With better things on her mind, Bella returned to her work, only allowing herself a brief glance at UW's list of majors before she closed the window and shut her computer off.

* * *

"Hey, I'm really glad you could make it, dude." Tyler Crowley slapped a hand onto Edward's back making Edward spit out some of his beer. "Shit, sorry."

"S'cool." Edward wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Where's Tanya, anyway?"

"I think she's ordering some food in the other room; you know, in case we get the munchies," Tyler said waggling his brows.

Edward rolled his eyes. "I don't think I'm doing that tonight. My dad would cut off my balls if I came home high."

Tyler shrugged. "Your loss dude." He turned to holler over his shoulder. "Hey, Marcus! Bring Cullen here another beer." When he turned back to Edward whose eyebrow was raised, he snickered. "You're in good hands, man. We're just gonna loosen you up a bit."

Marcus arrived with said beer, tossing it at Edward. He snatched it in mid-air and Marcus whistled lowly. "Nice catch. You ever think of playing baseball?"

"Used to," Edward said before he took a gulp of beer. "Back in Chicago."

"No way! We have a team! You should join!"

"Who would I have to talk to?" Edward asked, running his fingernail over the rim of his bottle.

"Emmett, of course."

Edward smiled. "I'll consider it."

"Speaking of Emmett, where is that asshole?"

Edward remained silent as some of the guys started discussing football season. He glanced over to the kitchen area and noticed some girls who were eyeing him. Once they saw him looking, they giggled sending him flirtatious glances. One of them had sleek brown hair. Edward wondered if she had brown eyes that matched. He furrowed his brows and turned to Marcus, slapping him on the arm.

"Hey, Marcus," he said, trying to get the kid's attention. He turned to him.

"What's up, Cullen?"

"Hey…uh. Do you…I mean, do you know a girl…?"

Marcus snorted, gaining the attention of Tyler who also turned, joining their conversation. "I know plenty of girls, Cullen. Why? You want me to hook you up? Give me a name."

"Uh, well, not exactly. And I don't know her name. Um. Brown eyes. Brown hair. Really pale skin. Wears boots-"

"Hold on," Tyler said, blink rapidly. "Wears boots?"

"Yeah," Edward nodded furiously.

Tyler and Marcus exchanged glances. "You're talking about Isabella Swan, aren't you?"

Edward's eyes widened. "Yeah! That's her! Her last name's Swan!" He grinned. Isabella. What a fucking gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl.

Marcus laughed. Tyler joined in. They both laughed for a while until Edward's grin faded and he stared at them in confusion.

"That's fucking precious," Marcus said, wiping away an imaginary tear. His smile slid off of his face. "Don't even try, dude."

"What? What the fuck are you talking about?" Edward demanded.

"I'm talking about how Isabella Swan, Rosalie Hale, and Alice Brandon are fucking untouchable."

"Untouchable?" Edward asked incredulously. What the fuck…

"Yeah, man. Completely untouchable goods. I don't blame you. Smokin' hot, all of them. But they're not gonna give you the time of day."

"They're the whole package," Tyler intoned dreamily. "Smart, hot, great assets, and each one is fan-fucking-tastic at different things. Alice used to be a part of our group, actually." Edward raised a brow. Who the fuck was Alice?

"Yeah, but she quit the cheer team and started hanging out with Swan."

"I still don't get it," Edward admitted.

"Alright dude. We're gonna tell you the whole story," Marcus said rubbing his hands together. "Basically, Rosalie grew up here her entire life and Alice moved here during middle school from Mississippi or some shit. Not so interesting. Moving on. Rosalie was always this Queen Bee Super Bitch type thing. Fucking hot. But she didn't associate with us lesser mortals," Marcus said with a sneer. Edward inwardly snorted. Clearly a case of sour grapes.

"So Rosalie was always off on her own but people just flocked to her, you know? Emmett actually had the biggest crush on her ever."

"I think he still has a boner for her but he'd never admit it," Tyler added thoughtfully.

"Whatever. So, then, in ninth grade, Isabella Swan moves to Forks." Edward sat up straighter. "She's this quiet thing. Freaking hot. Didn't want any of the attention that was thrusted upon her. She kept trying to fade into the background. Alice started hanging out with her around the middle of our freshman year and it was the two of them for a while. So the real drama happened during the summer before sophomore year."

"We had this jackass in our group. You won't know him, he's long gone now. Anyway, his name was Royce King. He was best friends with Emmett. He started dating Rosalie, so that caused a bit of a rift between him and McCarthy, cause, as I said before, Emmett had the hots for Hale. So, we had this party over the summer. Everyone who was everyone was there. It was at Emmett's place and Emmett's place is _huge_. So, Royce brings Rosalie, obviously, even though she just looked super pissed, like she didn't want to be there. She usually looked pissed but more so than usual that night, I remember."

"Can you remember anything from that night? Man I was so fucking wasted," Tyler said with a grin.

Marcus was silent for a moment. "I still remember her crying."

"What? Who?" Edward pried desperately, feeling like a gossiping old maid.

Marcus took a deep breath. "Basically, Royce wanted to get some. He tried. Rosalie didn't want to. He tried forcing it."

"He tried to _rape_ her?" Edward breathed, completely shocked.

Marcus shuddered. "It was horrible. We couldn't hear the screaming. The music, the booze…it was all too much. We just…we didn't know." He hung his head.

Tyler nodded slowly. "So, then, before anything really bad could happen, she was found, in a somewhat compromising position, half naked, and she was taken to the hospital. She was sobbing and shaking the whole way out of the house. I remember Emmett flipped his shit on Royce. It was terrible. Anyway, that jackass moved to Florida or some shit like that. No charges since he was a minor." Marcus rolled his eyes.

"Wait, but who found them? Who found Rosalie?" Edward asked.

"Swan and Brandon." The three boys whirled around to see Emmett standing a few feet away, hands tucked deep in his pockets, a weak smile on his face. He looked slightly green. Edward felt green himself. "They found her."

There was silence as each boy digested what had just happened. Edward felt sick to his stomach and desperately sad for a girl he didn't even know.

"And that's why they're untouchable. They're the outcasts."

"You treat them like outcasts because of that?" Edward asked lowly, furious.

"No," Emmett said, coming to join the boys on the couch. "No, they're 'untouchable' because they choose to be." His clear hazel eyes met Edward's emerald ones. "They don't want anything to do with us."

Edward tore his gaze away and took a chug of his beer, needing the buzz, especially after that horror story. "After that fucked up shit, I wouldn't either."

The party mellowed out after that. Tyler and Marcus joined some other guys outside to play drunken football and Edward set out to find some snacks, deciding that food might make his stomach stop flopping around queasily. He found pizza and Tanya in the kitchen.

"Edward," she smiled brightly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she opened a box of fresh pizza. "Are you enjoying the party?"

"I am," Edward answered with a smile, reaching around her to grab a slice of pepperoni. She stiffened when his back brushed her chest and he fought down a smile. "Thanks for the pizza." He leaned on the counter beside her, watching her as he chewed.

She met his eyes. "No problem," she said softly and one side of Edward's mouth slowly crept upward.

* * *

"Let me get this straight, Cullen."

"Sure, Isabella."

"You baked me cookies."

"Um…well…I mean, I would have, if I wasn't afraid of setting the kitchen on fire. My mom did."

"The _fuck_. Your mom, whom I have never met and will probably never meet baked me cookies."

"Um…I guess."

"…Am I missing something here?"

"It's an apology."

"An apology?"

"For the way I treated you. You know. When we first…bumped into each other."

Snort. "Nice."

"I just…I'm really sorry. I don't know what I was thinking and I swear, I'm usually not that rude. Seriously."

"New Kid, this is absurd. You baked, I mean, _your mom_ baked me cookies as an apology for you being an asshole."

"I'm not an asshole. That's what I'm saying. I'm not."

"I _know_ you're type, New Kid. Thinking you're God's Gift to the world."

"We're all God's gifts to the world if you want to get religious."

"Ha. Haha. You're funny, at least. And I thought you didn't have a sense of humor."

"You must have missed it when you were building spiral walls all period yesterday."

"…_Funny_."

"So am I forgiven?" Edward looked at her earnestly. Bella held up a finger before taking a bite of her cookie. Her eyes widened.

"Shit, Cullen," she said, mouth full of crumbly chocolate chip and walnut. "I like the way you apologize."

Edward laughed and Bella took a moment to reflect on how unfair it was that even his laughter was startlingly beautiful.

She passed him the Tupperware filled with cookies under their shared desk. "I can't possibly accept all of these," she said softly.

He pushed them back to her. "Please do. And give them to your friends. I'm sure they'll enjoy them too." He smiled at her sweetly and Bella blushed.

"New Kid…I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship," she decided, holding her hand out. He grinned, pearly white teeth on display, his beautiful eyes crinkling at the corners, and grasped her hand. She felt a tingle run up her arm and down her spine and the warmth of his hand and gaze made her blush a shade darker.

"I hope so," he murmured and Bella smiled.

She released his hand and closed her wonderful box of cookies placing it on the desk between them. "Give my compliments to the chef, please." She paused. "Oh, and New Kid?"

He looked over at her, curious.

She gave him her brightest grin. "Call me Bella."

* * *

We're just getting started. Stay tuned for more, coming up next!

Reviews are Rosalie kicking Royce motherfucking King where the sun don't shine.


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